Building the Insides

We visited Fenny Compton today, to see the boat for the first time since arrival of the hull 2 weeks ago.

The windows had been fitted and, for some reason, that makes it look much more like a boat than an empty hull.

Inside, the insulation had been fitted to the walls and roof, with Ian just finishing some of the fiddly curved bits of insulation near the stern.  There was a temporary floor in place and the partitions were loosely fitted giving us the first feeling for how the space would work.

I’m glad to say it matched our expectations.  I was always a little worried that the front saloon would be too small and it is small, but not too small.

The partition which forms the back of the desk was in place at 4’6" high so we could see just how that looked.  It had accidentally crept up on the later revisions of the drawing from the original 4′ high and we wondered just what the right height should be.  It certainly needs to be less than 4’6".

We had a discussion with Ian about the size of the base for the shower,  then a discussion about tiles when Ian expressed his preference for large ones as they are quicker to fix and much less grouting.

No Problem and Moore2Life at Aynho

After visiting our new boat in the morning we headed off to Banbury to see if we could find No Problem and Moore2Life.  We had rung Sue and left a message on her mobile to call us to say where they were.  While we were waiting for the return call we walked the length of the visitor moorings at Banbury to see if they were there.  Later on we discovered that we must have only just missed them.

Guessing they were south of Banbury we also headed south and were just driving over a canal bridge when the phone rang.  Where are you? we asked Sue.  Just approaching bridge 177 said Sue – where are you?  Just driving over bridge 177 we said.

No problem was quickly moored alongside the towpath, followed by moore2life and Sue produced tea and cake in record time.  It was lovely to see everyone again, and to see Lucy so happily following the boat on the towpath.

Then we helped them through several locks and Vic was proudly showing off his ratchet windlass which was very useful on some of the stiffer paddles.  We left them at Aynho lock, heading for Somerton Deep lock, where they hoped to play the “Granny Buttons Game” with a photo like this.

Posted on Monday, 16 October 2006 at 17:00        Comments (0) 
Category(s): No Problem

No Problem visits our Boat

I was delighted to receive an email from Sue on No Problem yesterday evening.  Sue, Vic and Lucy are cruising southwards on the Southern Oxford Canal and passed the marina where our boat is being built.

They stopped off to look at the boat and have a chat with Ian about progress.  They took several photographs and Sue kindly uploaded them to her website and emailed me a link so I could download them.  So here are some of them – Thank you Sue.

The windows are all fitted along the sides which makes it look more like a boat than just a hull.  The windows at the front are waiting for the windows to be made from templates to match the cut-out shapes exactly.

The insulation is fitted to the inside and that is what Vic and Ian are discussing in the photos.  The mushrooms are also fitted along the center line of the roof.

We will be visiting next Monday so we should see even more progress then.

The Hull is Launched

We launched the boat today – well at least the hull.

We got up early and left home about 05:00 to ensure we were at Reeves before our boat was to be craned onto the lorry.  They guaranteed that this would not be before 08:00.

There was even less traffic than anticipated and we arrived at 07:30, which is just as well as the crane was already parked with the outriggers in place and the jib was just being raised.  The boat was soon lifted up, the lorry backed in underneath and the boat lowered gently and secured in place – all before 08:00.

We dashed ahead of the lorry to film it passing through Stockton village.  The lorry has to go the long way round to avoid the hump back bridge over the canal.  Then we followed it south it down the A423 before turning into Cropredy.  It was craned into the water and we were left with our shell in the canal.

A quick phone call confirmed that Ian and Ron weren’t far away in Ron’s boat heading south to collect the hull and I walked up to meet them at Cropredy lock.  Ron winded his boat and ours was soon hitched up behind for the journey north.

We travelled with them to help work the pair of boats through the 8 locks and 5 miles to Fenny Compton where the boat will be fitted out.   There is no access for a crane at Fenny Compton and Cropredy is the nearest place with suitable access.

Now the boat is safely moored at Fenny Compton and Ian is waiting for the windows to arrive from Channelglaze.  Once they are in place and the shell is watertight he can start fitting out the inside.

—– oo OO oo —–

If you read the last blog you will remember we had a problem with the bows being constructed too high.  If you look at the last picture on today’s blog you will see the drawing and a photo of the bows side by side.  The gunwale (that’s the horizontal line below the windows) is clearly drawn straight from the front of the cabin to the cratch (that’s half way to the bows).  It was built with it sloping upwards by 3-4 inches.  The whole of the forward section of the bows are 3-4 inches too high and that blocks the forward view which we so carefully specified not to be blocked.

We were assured that it would make little difference once the boat was in the water and ballasted to its proper depth.  I looked from inside the shell today while it was in the water.  I know it isn’t ballasted to the proper depth yet, but I think makes a big difference now and I think it still will when it’s finished.

And now the stern area has been completed we’ve found that the recessed panel for the controls has not been recessed – so that’s not correct either.

—– oo OO oo —–

If you think you’ve seen the fourth picture before then compare this with Granny Buttons

Back at Reeves

Another visit to Reeves today and some new photos as the boat takes shape.  We’re impressed with the quality – as far as we can judge as non-technical people.  The lines of the boat look straight and they were setting out everything with a sprit level and and measuring it carefully while we were there.

We can see some of the special features of our design now the build has progressed this far.  The semi trad stern will have seats along each side with lockers underneath.  Look at the first photo and you will see the locker on the left hand side has a slightly sunken floor so there is room for 2 Calor Gas cylinders under the seat.

This is only a small sacrifice of engine room space and positioning the cylinders here makes lifting the heavy cylinders in and out a lot easier.  The cylinders are usually placed in the bows where they are difficult to lift in and out and almost impossible with the cratch in place.

The space in the bows usually used for the gas cylinders will be used for the water tank. This leaves the space under the foredeck usually used for the water tank for storage and accessed from inside, under the front doors.  I hope you’re all following this.

Photo 2 shows this space under the foredeck.  It’s not the easiest shape to access but I’m sure we can use it to keep firewood dry and hide the odd sack of coal.  You can see that the right hand bow locker also has a sunken floor and this is so it will hold a folding bicycle.

Also running across is the tube for the bow thruster.  You can see the outer end of the tube in photo 3 just peeping through at the bottom corner of the bows.  The bow thruster has a propeller mounted sideways and helps maneuvering the boat.

Photo 4 looks along the boat.  The square area is the storage tank under the pump-out toilet.  It on the center lines of the boat in both directions to keep it balanced as the tank fills.

Photo 5 shows the outside of the stern.  Look at the uprights for the seats and the T-shaped bollards instead of the traditional round ones so the rope stays on.  The narrowing underneath where the propeller fits is called the swim and photo 6 shows inside the rear cabin where a small space is lost and must be managed in internal the design.

There’s just a small problem with the construction of the bows which are flared upwards and block the forward view, despite the drawing and the written specification showing only a small raised bow.  We spent the afternoon discussing solutions to this, so this posting is a little later than planned.  This isn’t going to be easy to solve so watch this space for future developments.

The Build has Started

The build has started.

We visited Reeves today at their base near Napton on the Hill to see our hull being built.  We arrived, as agreed, in time for their 10 o’clock tea break.  But only just.

We had carefully checked their location on the waterscape map but we now know they are shown in the wrong place on the map.  They are really a mile further south and the sign on the gate doesn’t say Reeves so we drove straight past.

(UPDATE:  I emailed corrections@waterscape.com about the error on the map at 15:56 and at 16:35 I had an email back from Natalie saying that the map had been corrected already.  That’s a nice prompt response.  Well done.  Natalie went on to explain that the problem was caused by their postcode driven database which had placed Reeves at the same location as Napton Narrowboats and in separating them they had accidentally moved Reeves a little too far.)

On the way back down the road we saw Ian from Stephen Goldsbrough Boats turning into the gateway so we followed him in.  He’s been there many times before so we assumed he knew where he was going.

The tea break meant it was lovely and quiet and we could look around the hull without interrupting anyone and without any danger from the the welding and lifting of heavy metals sheets.

Then we went up to the office and were plied with tea while we discussed the build and the planned future for the boat.

Finally we went back to watch everyone at work.  It was so noisy it’s hard to describe.  With lots of people working on the three hulls in one building, and others working outside and in the adjacent buildings.  Lots of grinding, welding, hammering etc.  With the hull partly built even the slightest tap on the hull echoed throughout the building.  All proving that empty vessels make most noise – and three empty vessels make even more.

The only quiet activity was measuring out a piece of steelwork for the boat.  The dimensions had been carefully chalked on the bows of the boat – you’re hardly likely to loose them that way.

We’re going again next Wednesday to continue filming the build.  They should be well on with the superstructure by then and some of the extra details like the tube for the bow thruster should be in place.

We took lots of video and stills and some of them are here.  Click on the pictures for larger versions.

The Boat for Us

We can now reveal a little more about the narrowboat being built for us.

In addition to the conventional diesel engine there will also be an electric motor powered from batteries.  This will allow much quieter operation when we are filming, with less vibration.

The diesel engine will power the boat when we’re not filming and recharge the batteries at the same time.  The same large capacity batteries will provide additional 240v power throughout the boat so we can be sure of plenty of power when we’re moored without having to worry about running the engine too often.

The electric traction system is being provided by The Thames Electric Launch Company, based at Goring.

Next week we’re off to Reeves at Napton on the Hill to see the hull being built.  They are expecting to make a start on Monday so there should be something to see by Wednesday.  They expect it will take about three weeks to build the hull.

Posted on Wednesday, 6 September 2006 at 13:57        Comments (0) 
Category(s): Build our Boat

Boat Contract Signed

The big day has arrived for us to reveal that we have just signed the contract with Stephen Goldsbrough Boats to build our narrowboat at their Fenny Compton Base on the Southern Oxford Canal.  We are looking forward to working with the team there.

It will be a 58-foot narrowboat with a semi-trad stern using a Reeves hull.  We will reveal more details and some of the special features as time goes on and there will be regular updates with photos during the build.

From next year all the filming for the Waterway Routes Videos will be done using our own boat.

Posted on Friday, 1 September 2006 at 13:59        Comments (0) 
Category(s): Build our Boat

Heading home from Scotland

We packed the car this morning and headed home. On the way we made a small detour to Banton Loch which is one of the reservoirs constructed to feed the summit level of the Forth and Clyde Canal. Despite all the rain in Scotland the water level was well down. They expected it would just last this summer without any restrictions, which is much better than many of the English canals which have severe restrictions because of water shortages.

We had a delightful time on the Scottish Lowland Canals where all the staff were very friendly and helpful. Their favourite saying was "nay bother" whatever we asked. Now we are safely home we need to catch up with the movements of our friends on No Problem, the English equivalent of that saying, and their travelling companions on Moore2Life. We also have a lot of video footage and stills to backup and start to edit for the Forth & Clyde and Union Canal DVDs. But we will be turning our attention to the Cotswold Canals DVD which we hope to issue first, in time for Christmas sales for the Cotswold Canals Trust. It’s been a busy 2 weeks, with updated blogs every day. Keep watching for updated blogs, but they won’t be every day.

Posted on Sunday, 20 August 2006 at 14:03        Comments (0) 
Category(s): Forth & Clyde

The last rotation

Just Edinburgh side of the Falkirk tunnel is the "laughin and greetin" bridge. There are faces on each side of the bridge looking very different. It is said they represent the faces of the two contractors who built the canal. One had the easy job of constructing the level canal towards Edinburgh while the other had the difficult job of digging Falkirk Tunnel and constructing the flight of locks to joint the Forth and Clyde Canal.

We made our final rotation today as we descended the wheel around lunchtime. We were descending early to allow Andrew to catch a train home early afternoon before taking a scout group off to camp tomorrow. We just beat the weather with only a very light drizzle. All the other hire boats with a Saturday handover descended later in the afternoon in pouring rain with a nice crosswind. There’s certainly a lot of weather in the top gondola. Tomorrow we have to pack the car and drive home. It may be late so don’t hold you breath waiting for a blog tomorrow.

Posted on Friday, 18 August 2006 at 14:27        Comments (0) 
Category(s): Forth & Clyde

Up the wheel again

Another wheely good day today. We headed back down locks 20-17 and under Bonnybridge lifting bridge this morning. The last locks of this holiday, worked once again by cheerful and helpful British Waterways staff. Turning right at the junction in Falkirk we went up the single lock into the basin where we were held briefly waiting for the previous rotation to complete. One of the Seagull Trust boats emerged from the lower gondola and headed off to the pontoons on our right.

We were signalled into the lower gondola and one of the trip boats joined us. Then the near silent rotation to the upper position. A short transit through the new tunnel and up the staircase locks brought us to the level of the Union Canal. This would take use all the way to Edinburgh but we have stopped near the Muiravonside Country Park for the evening. Tomorrow we head back down the wheel to moor near the hire base ready to return our hire boat on Saturday morning.

Posted on Thursday, 17 August 2006 at 14:26        Comments (0) 
Category(s): Forth & Clyde

Carron to Auchinstarry

It’s been uphill all day today. Starting at the Carron Basin, just above the River Carron and the Firth of Forth. we ascended through locks 3 to 16 before reaching the junction at the Falkirk Wheel. On our way up we passed the "wee dredger" coming down. Unfortunately it wasn’t as "wee" as its name suggests as it wouldn’t fit under the bridge behind the dredger in the photo. We had to lower the level of the water in the pound between the locks so it would fit under. Fortunately it was only a short pound so it didn’t take long.

We passed the swing bridge at the junction and the lifting bridge at Bonnybridge before tackling locks 16-20 to reach the summit pound. This took us through Dullatur Bog, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) when the canal follows a straight cut. This summit pound would take us all the way to Glasgow but we only went as far as Auchinstarry to fill up with water and visit the shop in the village. Then we returned a short distance to Craigmarloch where we are moored quietly on our own.

Posted on Wednesday, 16 August 2006 at 14:25        Comments (0) 
Category(s): Forth & Clyde

Colured wheel

Another short day today, descending the locks to the eastern end of the Forth and Clyde Canal. Last night we were a little later to bed than usual as we discovered the Falkirk Wheel was illuminated with coloured lights. These gradually changed and we have a whole range of different coloured photos to choose just one for this blog. Then this morning we set off down locks 16 to 3 when we reached the Carron Basin where lock 2 allows exit onto the River Carron which then leads to the Firth of Forth.

There is no lock 1 as the end of the canal was lost under the motorway and another road (cheekily called the Forth and Clyde Way). The original locks 1 and 2 were also lost and one new lock replaces the two old ones. There is a plan to split the channel of the River Carron to extend the canal back to the docks at Grangemouth where the disused docks, once connected to the canal’s original route, will be turned into a marina. Now we have cruised the whole of the Scottish Lowland Canals and we will be heading back up to somewhere above lock 20 tomorrow.

Posted on Tuesday, 15 August 2006 at 14:23        Comments (0) 
Category(s): Forth & Clyde